


I Will Not Ask (And Neither Should You)

by SCP



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Inspired by Music, M/M, bog bodies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 00:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20126329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SCP/pseuds/SCP
Summary: Moomin discovers a bog body and something unexpected happens.





	I Will Not Ask (And Neither Should You)

There was a hat floating on the bog - a tattered, old, once green hat with a wilting orange feather on it. Moomin approached it, fascinated, and took it in his paws.

It must be someone's hat. Someone who probably can't wear it anymore.

Moomin's curiosity was at its highest now, so he decided to dig a bit further, until he discovered the rests of a backpack.

There had to be a body. Moomin was sure of it. No one in their right mind would throw a backpack and a hat into a bog for no reason, right?

So he dug further. His white fur was now dirty with mud, but he managed to pull a corpse out of the bog, to his and his parents' shock.

* * *

Moomin stared at the dead body over his father's shoulder.

"Who's that, papa?"

"I don't know. Seems to be a mumrik, and he was probably your age when he died." Moominpappa took off his hat, regretful to see such a young lad gone so soon, and Moominmamma wiped a tear with her apron.

"I'm gonna go get the police inspector - maybe we can find someone to bury him somewhere." Moominpappa stood up, followed by Moominmamma, and left, while Moomin remained alone with the dead mumrik.

* * *

Moomin never thought he'd get bored, but being all alone with a corpse was doing it.

He stood up and walked away from it, thinking about his father's intentions. They were good, yes, but he felt like calling the police inspector wasn't the way things should go. There were countless of bodies in the bogs around Moominvalley, and they shouldn't be disturb-

Moomin slapped himself. It was his fault for digging the corpse up. Maybe he should have left the young mumrik there, to continue his sleep...

He could hear something behind him - the grass being moved and rustled by someone standing up. Moomin turned around slowly and saw that the corpse was up on his feet, staring right at him. The big brown eyes would have been something worth staring into if they weren't so glassy and lifeless.

The young troll wanted to run away - who knows what were the intentions of the undead in front of him - but when he tried, he stumbled and fell on the soft grass as the mumrik made his way slowly towards him, a skeletal paw raised in front of him.

He wanted to scream, but the fear was suffocating him. He could have ran - the corpse was incredibly slow - but he was too shocked and scared to move. All he could do was cover his head and await his fate as the mumrik finally reached him.

* * *

There was something on his paw, aside from mud - something very cold. 

Moomin realized that the corpse was softly touching his paw, a sad (?) expression in his eyes. He stood up and took the cold paw between his own, holding it softly. It felt extremely strange, but not exactly awful.

The dead mumrik cracked a smile and raised his other arm softly, putting his paw between Moomin's. Despite the icy coldness, his paws weren't unpleasant to the touch, and Moomin tried his best to warm them up a little, with no result.

The mumrik closed his eyes and dropped dead in front of Moomin, who nearly screeched with shock, just as his parents were approaching.

* * *

Moominmamma's suggestion of burying back the corpse and improvising a headstone had been accepted instantly, and as the night fell, a small part of the bog was now covered in flowers and marked by a rock Moominpappa brought. Moomin tied the tattered hat to it, instead of an inscription on the rock. 

They left, and Moomin waved discreetly at the grave, with a hope that they'll meet again when his time comes.


End file.
